Back and Next - Back and NextOrdinations at Keur Moussa
Friday, January 9, 2009
Several Gambians were among the large crowd that witnessed the ordination of four young men at the Benedictine Abbey of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Keur Moussa, near Thies, Senegal. Two were ordained priests and the other two deacons.
Keur Moussa is one of two abbeys in Senegal. It was established in 1963 by the famous abbey of St. Pierre in Solesmes, Normandy, France. It has developed pretty fast and now numbers over forty monks – the majority being Africans. When the first abbot retired in 2000, he was succeeded by the present abbot, Dom Ange Marie Niouky, a Mancagne whose family hails from Guinea Bissau.
The two new priest-monks are Frere Francois Diouf, a Serer from Mbissel near Joal. The other is Frere Olivier sarr, a Serer from Fadiouth also near Joal. The two new deacons are Frere Thomas David Manga, a Jola whose family hails from Casamance but now lives in Gajawaye near Dakar. The other is Frere Jean Baptist Ciss, a Serer-Nduta from Lam Lam near Thies,
Monks live a life of prayers and work. Eight times a day, they enter the church to pray. They rise at 5am each day and retire at 9pm. Their motto says it all "labora et Orare". Groups of monks have visited The Gambia twice. The first visit in 1994, saw them Bwiam and other parts of the Western Region. In 2001, they visited San Domingo, the site of the first church in Sub-Saharan Africa (1456), Juffureh and James Island. A group is expected in August this year.
The monks of Keur Moussa composed of many hymns in the SeneGambian languages which are widely used in both countries. They have popularised the use of the kora which is their main musical instrument. They have also invented a notation and a fingering system for it, which permits people to study it and to play any piece of music once they have the score.
This development is almost as important as the invention of the Kora itself as it opens its use and appreciation to a wider global audience. In fact, people come from all over the world to study the Kora which is slowly becoming the main musical instrument in monasteries in Africa and beyond.
Keur Moussa is one of two abbeys in Senegal. It was established in 1963 by the famous abbey of St. Pierre in Solesmes, Normandy, France. It has developed pretty fast and now numbers over forty monks – the majority being Africans. When the first abbot retired in 2000, he was succeeded by the present abbot, Dom Ange Marie Niouky, a Mancagne whose family hails from Guinea Bissau.
The two new priest-monks are Frere Francois Diouf, a Serer from Mbissel near Joal. The other is Frere Olivier sarr, a Serer from Fadiouth also near Joal. The two new deacons are Frere Thomas David Manga, a Jola whose family hails from Casamance but now lives in Gajawaye near Dakar. The other is Frere Jean Baptist Ciss, a Serer-Nduta from Lam Lam near Thies,
Monks live a life of prayers and work. Eight times a day, they enter the church to pray. They rise at 5am each day and retire at 9pm. Their motto says it all "labora et Orare". Groups of monks have visited The Gambia twice. The first visit in 1994, saw them Bwiam and other parts of the Western Region. In 2001, they visited San Domingo, the site of the first church in Sub-Saharan Africa (1456), Juffureh and James Island. A group is expected in August this year.
The monks of Keur Moussa composed of many hymns in the SeneGambian languages which are widely used in both countries. They have popularised the use of the kora which is their main musical instrument. They have also invented a notation and a fingering system for it, which permits people to study it and to play any piece of music once they have the score.
This development is almost as important as the invention of the Kora itself as it opens its use and appreciation to a wider global audience. In fact, people come from all over the world to study the Kora which is slowly becoming the main musical instrument in monasteries in Africa and beyond.
Author: DO
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